The Way It Was
by 3marie3
Summary: They dubbed themselves The Square. It was one of those things that no one really remembered starting, and in all truth was pretty lame, but the title became as certain as fact." Car rides, loogies, clever choreography, Casey, Derek, Sam, Emily: summer
1. Prelude to a Dream

**the way it was**

**PROLOGUE:**

Oh, the summer. A time Casey Macdonald could barely comprehend, let alone bring herself to enjoy.

"_Why_ on _earth_ would _anyone_ think that giving restless adolescents nearly three solid months of free time would be a good idea?"

To Casey, "free time" was the twenty minutes every night after school, extracurriculars, and homework that she allowed herself to read for pleasure before going to sleep. On the final day of their tenth grade classes, Casey did not feel any of the soothing joy she experienced in anticipation of those nightly twenty minutes. Instead, she experienced sensations she likened to what one must feel standing at an enormous precipice overlooking a fathomless, gaping black hole: sheer terror and impending doom.

"Casey, honestly, you can't really be dreading summer?!" Though Emily was a trained expert in the field of Casey-freak-outs, she could not manage to conceal her astonishment at this particular rant. As they navigated their way through the buzzing cafeteria, Casey relaunched her list of summer anxieties.

"Emily, how can you not be dreading it? For years and years, you and I have attended every amazing academic camp available in our surrounding area, and for years and years we have used the summer months for productive and enriching experiences. And now, this year, thanks to all the fuss over Derek's stupid hockey championship, my mother had no time to review the opportunities I had carefully researched. And now it's too late! Everything is all booked up... no enrichment, no productivity, nothing for us! This is going to be the most dull, meaningless summer ever!" As the duo finally found an available table and took their seats, casey finished her tirade with a flourish, pounding her fists on the table for effect. Casey's luck immediately reverberated and rattled the wobbly cafeteria table, tipping her soda precariously towards the edge of her lunch tray. Just as the uncapped bottle began its disastrous decent, an oversized hand swooped in and swiftly settled the falling drink. The hand's owner slid nonchalant into the chair next to Casey and after assessing her with a lazy smirk began his taunting.

"And once again, Derek Venturi rescues the would-be victims of the terrifying Klutzilla!" He paused to grin at his own humor and glanced at Emily expecting a laugh. When he was deprived, he turned back and surveyed Casey. "What's a matter there, Space Case? Why the long face? _Please_ tell me I had something to do with it." Derek was already in a good mood, but now his spirits soared with further proof that Casey was incapable of functioning like a normal human being. Not only was she wreaking her usual clumsy havoc, but she actually looked depressed on the last day of school. Though he was certainly late for his lunch appointment with the Popular Crowd, his curiosity simply could not be satiated without the sure-to-be entertaining details of Casey's latest sorrow.

Casey glared at Derek, which of course only heightened his amusement. Emily raised her eyebrows as Derek sat down at their table, but in order to prevent the verbal lashing Casey was certainly arranging in her mind, Emily offered explanation rather than inquiry as to his presence. "Indirectly, I guess, you could say you're the source. Casey's upset that she has no organized plans for the summer."

"Ooh, do tell how I caused this disaster?" The arrogance in his grin multiplied, as did the malice in Casey's stare. She could no longer hold back her assault.

"YOU did what YOU always do!! YOU pranced around vying for attention and YOU distracted MY mother and YOU and YOUR stupid hockey championship have ruined MY summer!" Casey's volume increased and the distance between her and Derek decreased. The risk of physical out lash was at an all time high, yet Derek dared to further Casey's annoyance. He stuck out his bottom lip in faux pout, and raised his massive championship ring on his hand and gazed upon it in melodramatic sorrow. Emily giggled and Casey huffed and rolled her eyes, turning away from her anger and Derek and back towards her best friend.

"Emily, I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. This," she said, motioning toward Derek, whose antics had dissolved into false sobs over the bejeweled ring, "is what I have to live with this whole lousy and plan-less summer!"

"Woah, lousy? And summer? In the same sentence? What's the deal, Casey?" Sam emerged from the bustling crowd and sat directly opposite Derek, next to Emily.

"Sam! My man!" Derek paused his taunting to engage in some strange male hand-shaking ritual. Emily and Casey locked eyes and shook their heads. "_Wherever Derek goes, Sam is sure to follow_," they agreed via their own female eye-talking ritual.

"Hi, Sam," Emily said, following a discreet giggle.

"Hi," Casey also murmured, erasing the smile that lingered from their understood conversation. She was quick to return to her anti-summer funk. Sam raised his eyebrows at Derek, implying a question.

Derek answered, "I have ruined Casey's summer." He smiled victoriously.

"Already?" Sam said, in a tone 50 congratulatory and 50 rebuking.

Emily again began an explanation. From there the conversation flowed; Casey had never before realized it, but the pairs of best friends complimented one another effortlessly. Amid Emily's neutral retelling of the situation, Sam tossed support to both Derek and Casey. Derek, of course, livened the table with his typical arrogant behavior, and Casey, of course, let no moment of Derek's egocentric babble go unchallenged. When the debate concerning the legitimacy of Casey's summer woes came to an end, Casey was surprised that Derek and Sam stuck around. Though she had been very involved in defending her position and discussing it with them, she found it hard to believe that they were entertained. Normally their social priorities kept them chasing girls or at least remaining within the proper realm of Populardom throughout the lunch period, but today they seemed utterly contented to eat lunch with Casey and Emily. Casey had to say, she was enjoying it, too.

It seemed strange that the four of them hadn't hung out more often considering the proximity of the friendships, but this honestly had to be one of the first times they united without Emily enamored with Derek, or Casey and Sam absolutely smitten/brokenhearted over each other, or Derek obsessed with maintaining his status, or something of the sort. And it fit. It just felt right. Somehow the four of them meshed perfectly, and quickly the lunch hour filled with talk extending far beyond Casey's summer blues. In fact, Casey forgot entirely about her anxieties concerning the summer. Everything about the four together made her so comfortable. She wasn't the only one benefiting. The union brought out the best in all of them: Emily's sweet agreeability had never been so evident, and Sam's simple wisdom was at last unmarred by his tendency towards insecurity. Even Derek and Casey interacted fluidly; though they bickered as often as ever, somehow the ease of their best friends at their flanks softened the edges of their hostility. Yet still they argued, and a question planted itself in Casey's mind as to why she offered him reaction to his provocations, and why on earth she was actually enjoying it so much. Casey determined it must be the feeling the foursome provided.

Casey had never felt freer. Her anxieties melted and the need to plan and organize subsided. All that mattered was that very moment, the joke Derek was telling, the face Sam made, the sound of Emily's laughter so securely happy beside her. Blame it on the circumstance, the last day of school, or the tiny bit of irrational teenager residing in Casey, but regardless, she had never felt more free.

The four paid no mind as the cafeteria crowds dwindled around them, and their raucous laughter only subsided when the bell for class interrupted. At the noise, reality suddenly descended upon them. Casey glanced frantically at her watch and gasped at the possibility of being late for class; Derek scanned the cafeteria wondering who all had seen him eating lunch with his anal stepsister and her loser best friend. Sam combed his fingers through his hair and hoped his girlfriend would buy whatever excuse he could manage for why he ditched her and ate lunch with his ex-girlfriend; Emily was already up and emptying her tray into the garbage. Instantly Derek and Sam followed her, and Casey was left alone at the table. Though Casey couldn't even remember what she had been upset about earlier, she felt her smile fade again and inexplicably into a frown.

"Casey, come on! We're going to be late for chemistry!" Emily turned and called to her.

Casey sat frozen, watching Derek attempt to trip Sam and Sam dodge his foot and laugh, the goofy friends back to their private mischief. Emily bit at her thumbnail, again as anxious as ever. Casey suddenly felt a sadness much deeper than simple distress over lack of summer plans. In a flash she analyzed the situation: she had been sad, then she was happy, now she's sad again. No, that didn't seem to explain what she was feeling at all. Though normally objectifying the situation helped Casey sort out her emotions, her typically concrete-solid path of logic left her more confused than before. Maybe logic couldn't explain the desperate disappointment she was suddenly feeling. Maybe the thought of all of them just heading off towards their separate lives and resuming their separate friendships was too much to handle in contrast with the past hour of perfect togetherness. Maybe all the analyzing in the world couldn't have prepared her for that unexpected glimpse of comfort, belonging, and freedom. Maybe a glimpse was all anyone got; maybe grasping for more would ruin what little she got. Maybe she was the only one who realized that lunch hour as something special.

"Hey!" Casey's thoughts were interrupted as Derek turned in the doorway, facing and addressing the other three. "Let's hang out tonight. The four of us... you know, like a kick off the summer kind of thing."

"I'm down for that!" and "That sounds fun!" were the respective responses from eager Sam and Emily. Though Derek was already looking at her, now the other two turned towards Casey in search of agreement. Casey simply beamed and nodded.

"_... Or maybe this summer won't be so dull and meaningless after all_," she thought as she rose from the table with a grin etched on her face and began her walk to class.

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Wowzers. That took a lot longer that I thought it would. I meant for this just to be an opening intro type thing, but I got kinda carried away. Stayed tuned for a taste of summer in the midst of this dreary winter, and some sexy awesome Dasey-ness. This was my first fic ever so pleeeease be nice, or, better yet, constructive with the critiques. That is hoping I get reviews. Hope you enjoyed; thanks for your time!


	2. June Days: Car Rides and Quadrangles

**june days**

"_You get a shiver in the dark_

_It's a rainin' in the park but, meantime..._

_South of the river you stop_

_And you hold everything"_

Derek's car speakers were blaring as loud as they could possibly go. Casey, normally extremely agitated by anything having to do with decibel levels that couldn't be placed under the "indoor voices" category or by anything having to do with Derek, somehow offered no protest. Instead, she and Emily giggled uncontrollably in the backseat of the Prince at Derek and Sam's carefully choreographed car-dance to the Dire Straits classic. After the first four lines, Sam turned down the stereo.

"That's really about all we have. For now," Sam said, spinning around from his shotgun position with an eager grin on his face in anticipation of the girls' reactions. Initially they stared at him, mouths agape, wondering if he was honestly expecting praise. Then Emily and Casey faced one another and exploded in laughter

"Ahh, you laugh now, but soon! Soon... we'll have the whole song down. And it shall be a master piece!" Derek declared, momentarily taking his hands off the wheel to make the appropriate glorious flourishes. This, of course, resulted in a near death encounter with a mailbox. Squeals ensued.

"DER-EK!" Casey screeched as Derek swerved back onto the road. "You think your driving talent might at least fill the gap left by your lack of dance skills!! Are you trying to kill us?!" She roared, gripping tightly to the back of his seat with one hand and backhanding the side of his head with the other.

Derek directed the car to its proper lane and Emily simply laughed, "I thought their dance was... cute! I mean, the transition from the the 'stop' gesture to the cradle motion was very creative. And, um, impressive!" Sam turned around and beamed at Emily, and she returned the favor. Casey rolled her eyes.

"See, Casey, _some_ people know how to give appreciation where appreciationis due. You should try it sometime," Derek wiggled a triumphant eyebrow at her via the rearview mirror.

Casey glared in response. "New song," she huffed with melodramatic dejection. She looked out the window at the oh-so-familiar sights racing by as Derek directed Sam to the appropriate CD from his massive leather CD case. Derek Car Rules: Only Derek or Sam May Handle the Process of Music Selection.

"I said the _purple_ CD from the 'E' section, not the yellow one!" Derek exclaimed.

"Yes sir, commander sir! Sorry, sir!" Sam apologized facetiously, hurrying in mock panic to obey Derek's orders. Emily snorted another chuckle, and even Casey could hardly keep from smiling. Less than a month earlier, a car ride like this would have consisted been pure torture for Casey, torture that inspired thousands of eye-rolls and genuine annoyance. These days, Casey found herself pretending to be angry far more often than actually feeling the hostility. And even then, the smiles and laughter found their way to her lips quicker than she could help it. It was hard to believe how much had changed.

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They dubbed themselves The Square. It was one of those things that no one really remembered starting, and in all truth was pretty lame, but the title became as certain as fact. They were The Square.

After the night following the last day of school, Casey never again doubted the mythical harmony that the four united possessed. They were never serious; that first night consisted of three large thin crust pepperoni pizzas, vast amounts of caffeine, and hours spent on the walking bridge that crossed over the entrance to their neighborhood spitting at cars. Had Casey heard of those shenanigans second hand, she would have rolled her eyes in utter disgust at such immaturity and recklessness. But instead she was with them. She was freedom in action; she was leaning over the railing between Derek and Emily and hawking loogies with enviable timing at the cars speeding below. She was sprinting for the woods faster than any of them when their victims swerved to a stop and bellowed in rage:

"GOD DAMN TEENAGERS!"

Teenagers. That's all they were; just a foursome of foolish, bored teenagers keeping each other company on dull summer nights. They knew that. They may have been foolish, and reckless, and immature, but they weren't dumb. Even Casey with all her delusions of perfection could feel the frown of the world upon them. Casey could sense the annoyance when waiters served them at restaurants; Casey could feel the automatic skepticism when theater workers tore their tickets. To the entire world they were just God Damn Teenagers. And though the four of them were never serious, though they were God Damn Teenagers for certain, together they were _something_. Casey knew that the very first night, hiding in a bush with Sam and Emily and Derek, ducking furiously together as a car turned its headlights towards the woods, squeezing as close and keeping as quiet as possible. She knew it in that moment as sure as she could feel Emily's elbow jut into her ribs, Sam's ass bump her sideways into a tree, and Derek's muffled laughter radiate heat onto her shoulder. She knew they were something fateful and meaningful and blissful. Something as solid and real as a freakin' quadrangle.

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Thus the June days passed. Riverbrook, the neighborhood where they all lived, never saw the end of The Square's leisurely laps around it. Windows down, music booming, Derek driving, Sam in shotgun, Casey behind Derek, and Emily behind Sam, or some similar event occurring every day. Casey couldn't even remember the last day where they hadn't all been together at some point. Be it brief encounters at the local CVS (a place where Derek and Sam hung out quite frequently; another one of their previously-established, bizarre male rituals), or epic 48 hour sessions of Square time at the Macdonald-Venturi residence, they were quite literally inseparable.

When Casey thought about it, the whole thing was beyond strange. She was spending hours on end with her stepbrother (...who she completely despised), her ex-boyfriend, and her clingy best friend, doing the same boring, immature things everyday. And she was having more fun than she had had in her whole life.

Casey was suddenly dragged from her thoughts to reality by the sound of Derek's voice.

"Earth to Space Case, zoning out much?" he said, finally sliding the purple CD into the slot. Casey prepared to retort but stopped immediately when she recognized the song playing.

"OH MY GOSH turn it up!!! I LOVE this song! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I can't believe we're listening to it!!" Casey, of course, was one of those girls who had her wedding all planned out by the time she was eleven. The second she heard the song on one of her father's old CD's, she knew she would one day be dressed in white, twirling around the dance floor in the arms of the man of her dreams while it played. She knew it would be her wedding song.

For once, Derek obeyed, and soon after the boys and Emily began their interpretation of the song, singing along in a silly serenade. Casey smiled to herself and sang along softly, sighing happily when the main line rolled around. She looked up just in time to catch Derek's eyes in the rearview mirror, and for a moment he lowered his voice from his comedic falsetto and smirked right at her, but sang genuinely:

"_Oh, my darling,_

_You look wonderful tonight"_

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Whew. Finally. Thanks for the encouragement and critiques... especially ilovejonas22! You reminded me that I really, really needed to get working on this. Anyways, I guess its been kinda slow so far, but don't give up on me! I promise there is some actual action in the near future, perhaps in June Nights? Now, review!... pretty please.

And btw, I don't own LWD or Dire Straits or Eric Clapton. They own me.


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